Proper Worship Unto the Lord
Psalm 100
Introduction-
(1) Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. (2) Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. (3) Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. (4) Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. (5) For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations (Psa. 100:1-5).
The 100th Psalm is a beautiful ancient song that contains many great lessons for us to learn about proper manner, spirit and attitude that we should worship the Lord.
I. Active, Not Passive
A. Many see worship as passive spectatorship.
1. Kind of like a going to see a basketball game or a movie.
2. Worship is not just an attitude, but an action.
B. Notice the action verbs used to describe worship in the 100th psalm.
C. For our worship to be pleasing to God it must be active.
1. Work is not just busy work, not just any activity.
2. Our activity must be those acts commanded by the Lord.
a. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him worship him in spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:24).
b. Saul mistakenly thought he could worship by offering sacrifice without obeying his "Hath the Lord as great delight in offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22).
3. In the New Testament the Lord has given us five acts of worship
a. Preaching of God's Word: This is not a passive act. Although one may be doing the teaching, all are to be actively involved in the hearing and application.
b. Singing: Certainly this is not passive. The NT nothing or solos, duets, choirs set apart the rest of the congregation to sing to a passive audience. The command to worship in song requires each worshiper to "sing make melody in their heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).
c. Praying: While one may lead a prayer in all are to be actively praying to God.
d. Communing: The Lord's Supper requires the attention of our hearts and minds. We are remember the Lord's death, each one of us.
e. Giving: This is an active part of worshiping God in which "each one lays by in store as God has prospered him" (1 Cor. 16:1-2).
4. Let us never view our worship as passive or ourselves as spectators.
II. Joyful, Not Dreary
A. Worship is not a sad occasion
1. Some see coming to worship God as a sad and deary duty.
2. This was a problem in Malachi's day. Their toward worshipping God was "Behold, what a weariness is it!" (Mal. 1:13).
3. Some arrive with long faces and dreary dispositions.
4. The church building is not to be a house of mourning!
B. Notice the words used to describe the attitude of worshipers of the Lord
1. "Joyful" (vs. 1).
2. "With Gladness" (vs. 2).
3. "With Singing" (vs. 2).
C. Our attitude in worship to God should be one of joy, not deariness.
1. Do you share the attitude of the psalmist? "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord" (Psa. 122:1).
2. This was the attitude of the worship of the first century: "(46) And they, continuing daily with accord in the temple, and breaking bread from to house, did eat their meat with gladness singleness of heart, (47) Praising God, and favour with all the people. And the Lord to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:46-47).
3. Preaching: This is the deliverance of "glad tidings" (Acts 13:48), shouldn't we rejoice to hear it?
4. Giving: "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7).
5. Singing: Singing psalms is for the cheerful (Jas. 5:13).
6. "And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (Isa. 35:10).
III. Knowledgeable, Not Ignorantly
A. Many people worship God ignorantly
1. This is not acceptable worship.
2. Jesus corrected the Samaritan woman for her worship of God. "Ye worship ye know what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews" (Jn. 4:22).
3. Paul corrected the Athenians for their ignorant "For as I passed by, and beheld your I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye worship, him declare I unto you" (Acts 17:23).
B. We are to know
1. The Lord is God
a. He is the one true God. "Know therefore this and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon earth beneath: there is none else" (Deut. 4:39).
b. He is to be exalted! "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth" (Psa. 46:10).
c. "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (Jn. 17:3).
2. The Lord made us
a. When Paul went to declare the "unknown God" to the Athenians, he told them, " (24) God that made the world and all therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven earth, dwelleth not in temples made with (25) Neither is worshipped with men's as though he needed any thing, seeing giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, he be not far from every one of us: (28) For in him we live, and move, and have our as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. (29) Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of we ought not to think that the Godhead like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device " (Acts 17:24ff).
b. He is my Creator. "(13) For thou hast my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. (14) I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well" (Psa. 139:13-14).
3. We did not make ourselves
a. "(19) What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (20) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
4. We are his people
a. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; ye should shew forth the praises of him hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1 Pet. 2:9).
5. We are his sheep
a. "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he gather the lambs with his arm, and carry in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young" (Isa. 40:11).
b. "(14) I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (15) As the Father knoweth me, even so know I them and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of fold: them also I must bring, and they hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd (26) But ye believe because ye are not of my sheep, as I said you. (27) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (28) And I unto them eternal life; and they shall perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (Jn. 10:14-16, 26-28).
C. We will worship God correctly when we know who he is and who we are
1. He is Creator, we are His creatures.
2. He is Our God, we are His people.
3. He is Our Shepherd, we are His sheep.
IV. Grateful, Not Ingratitude
A. Some would begrudging God the worship due Him
1. Those who do not acknowledge the Lord is God, do not acknowledge we are His people.
2. Those who do not acknowledge We are God's people, have no joyful worship to bring.
3. Those who do not enter worship filled with joy, have no gratitude in worship for the Lord.
B. We are to enter worship
1. "With Thanksgiving"
2. "With Praise"
3. And "Bless His Name"
C. Underlying all true worship is a grateful heart
1. "I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, will call upon the name of the LORD" (Psa. 116:17).
2. "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of to God continually, that is, the fruit of our giving thanks to his name" (Heb. 13:15).
3. "(1) Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is me, bless his holy name. (2) Bless the O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth thy diseases; (4) Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; (5) Who thy mouth with good things; so that thy is renewed like the eagle's" (Psa. 103:1-5).
4. "(16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (17) whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him" (Col. 3:16-17).
V. Unto the Lord, Not Self
A. Many think the worship service is to make them happy, give them something
1. When one says, "I didn't get anything out of service!" They have the wrong concept of what worship is for!
2. They think the worship service is meant to please themselves.
a. They want songs and prayers that please their ears.
b. They want preachers that excite or thrill them.
B. The worship is about God, not us.
1. Worship is "unto the Lord" (vs. 1).
2. Service to "the Lord" (vs. 2).
3. In "His Presence" (vs. 2).
C. Notice the joy and gladness was brought to the worship
1. If worship is about me then it is matter of what can I get out of it.
2. If worship is about God, then it is all about what I can bring to it.
D. Worship is about the character of Our God
1. He is Good "Oh that men would praise the LORD his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" (Psalm 107:8).
2. He is Merciful "O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever" (Psa. 136:26).
3. He is Truthful "(90) Thy faithfulness is unto all thou hast established the earth, and it (91) They continue this day according to ordinances: for all are thy servants" (Psa. 119:90-91).
Conclusion:
Let us learn and put into practice the proper manner of worshiping the Lord actively, joyfully, knowledgeably, gratefully and always unto Him.
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